The invention relates to tools for manual sanding and more particularly to a pole-mounted sanding device provided with a vacuum connection for drawing off the dust created by the sanding action.
The sanding of wood, drywall or plaster is typically accomplished using a sanding block which is handheld and to which sheets of sand paper can be removably attached. The dust generated by the sanding action, particularly in the case of drywall, falls freely in the work area and therefore requires subsequent cleanup.
Various devices have been designed to provide a vacuum connection to the sander head to pick up the dust generated by the sanding action in the vicinity of the sander head. The present applicant's U.S. Pat. No. 5,283,988 issued Feb. 8, 1994 discloses a vacuum sander of the type comprising means for connecting a source of vacuum, a base for attaching a back-up pad and means for releasably attaching an abrasive, air-permeable sheet. In that device, the back-up pad was designed with a raised perimeter provided with a plurality of grooves extending from the outer edge to an inner chamber, which improved the ability of the device to pick up dust around the edges of the sanding surface.
Mehrer U.S. Pat. No. 4,062,152, discloses a sander which is connected to a vacuum source by a hollow tubular handle. A porous abrasive sheet is mounted on the front surface of a backing plate which has a number of bores which provide an air passageway from the abrasive sheet to a manifold which in turn communicates with the tubular handle by a hollow sleeve universally mounted on the sander body. A problem with pole mounted vacuum sanders however is that one longitudinal edge of the sander head tends to lift off the wall as the head is moved up or down, causing it to lose suction and contact with the wall.
There remains a need therefore for a pole mounted vacuum sander which has a universal joint connection between the pole and the sander head which is secure enough to prevent the sander head from losing contact with the surface being sanded during use.